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Cleaning the S12


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So I did a search but didn't find anything on here. Are there any how-to videos out there for cleaning the S12? I found one on ATACTV but they only have the second part of the video posted, and that's like 35 minutes long.

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I just run a bore snake through the barrel with Hoppes #9, finishing with a mop with very little oil. I also use a 20 guage brush with Hoppes in the gas chamber, no oil, clean the puck with Hoppes and a brush, and then use a detal pick to clear the gas ports. The whole process takes 15 min. I don't see a need to do much else, and the gun runs flawlessly.

 

Also forgot, I use hoppes to remove powder fouling on the end of the piston rod.

Edited by Spacehog
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Knock the funk off of the breach face with a nylon brush. Clean the puck well. DO NOT lube the gas system!

Fixed it.

 

The insides of some of my S12s look like an old Dodge Slant 6 with a leaky valve cover and 400k miles on it. They run fine with all of that grime in there.

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Clean like a normal AK, wipe down the internals when necessary, run a brush through the bore and gas tube. Also, clean the puck well. DO NOT lube the gas system!

 

i never knew you were even supposed to clean a normal ak, i thought the cleaning rod and bore brush was in case your asshole gets itchy and you need to scratch it, run that thing down the back of your pants and scratch away

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my process is simple. 12 guage bore brushes through the barrel and gas port. Scrub the crap off the puck....When it gets super dirty after a few hundred rounds, I pull out the guts and use brake clean then lube the whole thing down with my favorite gun lube. Lube....I like lube.

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Dang JRW - your avatar makes me wonder what the heck she was saying! lol

 

As for cleaning the S12 - open gas tube, dump plastic bits from hulls onto floor, stick a paper clip end in the gas ports to be sure they are clear and maybe wipe the sooty powder residue off the puck and inside of the tube if you feel ambitious. Reassemble and repeat after 10 or 20 boxes of shells.

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Cleaning the S-12 has come up several times on the forums. Many subscribe to the "It's an AK, what does "cleaning" mean?" The other side of that coin is "It's a gun - shouldn't you want it to be as reliable as possible?"

 

Generally most people fall somewhere between. The advice given in this thread is good, but if you're looking for specific step-by-step thorough cleaning, then this is my method:

 

First, I do a top-down approach. I clean the gas block, then the internals, then the bore. That way any fouling or dirt knocked around by cleaning is moved into the next area to be cleaned.

 

1. Remove the adjustment plug and pull out your bolt carrier. Use a long, ideally softer prod to remove your puck. (I use the cleaning patch holder and my cleaning rod to push it out)

 

2. Saturate your bore brush with Hoppe's No. 9 solvent and run it through the gas tube several times. Do NOT change direction mid-tube (the same is true for the barrel). Once you've used the bore brush to loosen the fouling, use a patch soaked in solvent to give the internals of the gas tube a good run through followed by several more dry patches until they come out clean. Use a dental/detail pick (available on Carolina Shooter's Supply) to ensure your gas ports are open and clean.

 

Do NOT oil your gas tube/block. The oil generally attracts more fouling in this area.

 

3. Pull out all of the internals that you haven't already (remove the bolt from the carrier, remove spring assembly rod, etc.). I will usually take a regular copper brush and some solvent to the dirty areas and contact areas of the bolt and carrier. I also use the brush to scrub down the Fire Control Group (FCG) including the spring, trigger, hammer, etc. Just a quick scrub to clean it up.

 

4. Use the copper brush to clean your puck and gas adjustment plug thoroughly. This will help in smooth operation of the action.

 

5. Run the bore brush & solvent through your barrel a few times followed by patches with solvent and then dry patches similar to the method for cleaning the gas tube.

 

6. Apply oil liberally to all metal-on-metal contact surfaces that are not part of the gas system. This includes this bolt and carrier, both where the bolt fits into the carrier and the channel on the carrier that turn the bolt. I also oil the carrier rails on the receiver and the rail channels on the carrier. I usually run mine very wet with oil, so I also put some on my FCG - spring and trigger assemblies. This may not be necessary, but I haven't had any issues in doing so.

 

7. Reassemble your gun and enjoy.

 

Remember, yes your gun is based off of an AK. Can it be dragged through mud and still fire? Probably. Hit by a truck and pick it up and fire it? I have seen it done. But should your gun be put through hard conditions because you didn't want to clean it? I hope not. There's no sense in not caring for your gun if you have the ability to do so.

 

Leave the hope that it will run without oil and solvent for when the SHTF and oil and solvent aren't available.

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After scrubbing the bolt, bolt carrier, reciver rails, and bolt channels: I like to grease the bolt lugs, lug channels, rails, and bolt carrier. I usually swipe a little grease on the hammer face also.

 

I'll go 500 rounds + before doing this. Around the same for brushing the barrel.

 

The gas puck I scrape every 2-300 rounds or so.

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Cleaning the S-12 has come up several times on the forums. Many subscribe to the "It's an AK, what does "cleaning" mean?" The other side of that coin is "It's a gun - shouldn't you want it to be as reliable as possible?"

 

Generally most people fall somewhere between. The advice given in this thread is good, but if you're looking for specific step-by-step thorough cleaning, then this is my method:

 

First, I do a top-down approach. I clean the gas block, then the internals, then the bore. That way any fouling or dirt knocked around by cleaning is moved into the next area to be cleaned.

 

1. Remove the adjustment plug and pull out your bolt carrier. Use a long, ideally softer prod to remove your puck. (I use the cleaning patch holder and my cleaning rod to push it out)

 

2. Saturate your bore brush with Hoppe's No. 9 solvent and run it through the gas tube several times. Do NOT change direction mid-tube (the same is true for the barrel). Once you've used the bore brush to loosen the fouling, use a patch soaked in solvent to give the internals of the gas tube a good run through followed by several more dry patches until they come out clean. Use a dental/detail pick (available on Carolina Shooter's Supply) to ensure your gas ports are open and clean.

 

Do NOT oil your gas tube/block. The oil generally attracts more fouling in this area.

 

3. Pull out all of the internals that you haven't already (remove the bolt from the carrier, remove spring assembly rod, etc.). I will usually take a regular copper brush and some solvent to the dirty areas and contact areas of the bolt and carrier. I also use the brush to scrub down the Fire Control Group (FCG) including the spring, trigger, hammer, etc. Just a quick scrub to clean it up.

 

4. Use the copper brush to clean your puck and gas adjustment plug thoroughly. This will help in smooth operation of the action.

 

5. Run the bore brush & solvent through your barrel a few times followed by patches with solvent and then dry patches similar to the method for cleaning the gas tube.

 

6. Apply oil liberally to all metal-on-metal contact surfaces that are not part of the gas system. This includes this bolt and carrier, both where the bolt fits into the carrier and the channel on the carrier that turn the bolt. I also oil the carrier rails on the receiver and the rail channels on the carrier. I usually run mine very wet with oil, so I also put some on my FCG - spring and trigger assemblies. This may not be necessary, but I haven't had any issues in doing so.

 

7. Reassemble your gun and enjoy.

 

Remember, yes your gun is based off of an AK. Can it be dragged through mud and still fire? Probably. Hit by a truck and pick it up and fire it? I have seen it done. But should your gun be put through hard conditions because you didn't want to clean it? I hope not. There's no sense in not caring for your gun if you have the ability to do so.

 

Leave the hope that it will run without oil and solvent for when the SHTF and oil and solvent aren't available.

 

Dito on this! But only after 5 or 6 hundred rounds. The rest of the time I just use a bore snake in the barrell with rem oil.

Edited by Palidin
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